Spire conducted interviews with leading importers, distributors and organized retailers to elicit analysis of industry, market and distribution conditions. A consumer survey were also carried out to understand attitudes and perception. To supplement this, secondary research and expert interviews (industry associations and journalists) were also conducted.

These processes enabled Spire to define the top three categories with greatest export potential. We also compared the local market situation against the categories where our client possessed competitive export advantages; such as sugar confectionaries, noodles and health foods (e.g. organic tofu, seaweed products) sold through retail channels.

The client uploaded portions of the Spire report onto their website and initiated a program of government-supported promotions in Singapore to execute on the recommendations.

Project deliverables included a series of reports that provided market intelligence and recommendations on strategy, resources and a timeline to promote exports in the three categories.

Spire undertook network development efforts, attended trade events, cultivated lead multipliers (government, Venture Capitalists, journalists, etc.) and undertook secondary research to identify potential investor firms. These prospecting efforts relied on both vertical (targeting leaders in sectors of most interest to our client) and horizontal (targeting leading national firms in terms of sales and exports) approaches to lead generation.

Spire engaged interested firms at the senior management level to understand their European strategy, communicate KSPs about the client’s locality and, in the case of qualified leads, arrange meetings with our client’s technical staff for detailed FDI negotiations.

Spire’s activities resulted in new investment and safeguarding projects being attracted into the client’s locality in Europe. We also enabled our client to establish relationships with new mid-term prospects and raised the profile of their locality amongst the business community in Asia.

Project deliverables included the submission of a minimum number of qualified leads per month per country, relationship management with investor leads, regular reports and meetings for strategy formulation as well as advice on the content of sales collaterals and marketing activities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Spire applied a two-staged process for this engagement. Firstly, secondary research and expert interviews with industry associations and journalists were held. These would determine the top three categories with the greatest export potential, by comparing the local market situation against the categories where our client possessed competitive export advantages – these were sugar confectionaries, noodles and health-foods.

In the second stage, our consultants executed in-depth, face-to-face interviews with leading importers, distributors and organized retailers to elicit an analysis of market and distribution conditions. Spire also implemented a consumer survey to analyze attitudes and perceptions towards imported (and in particular Japanese) products in these categories.

Our client used Spire’s recommendations to adopt and implement a fresh strategy for the promotion of its food exports to Southeast Asia, particularly in relation to segment and channel prioritization as well as advertising and promotion priorities. Our client had uploaded portions of Spire’s report onto their website.

Project deliverables included a report that:

• Provided market intelligence
• Recommended a strategy, resources required and timeline to promote exports of sugar confectionaries, noodles and health foods

Spire held focus group discussions and conducted phone and online surveys with students in Singapore. Interviews with Singapore-based foreign government embassies or agencies in-charge of education, education agencies, private institutions providing overseas qualification were also held.

Our analysis served as important inputs to help our client decide on the market position strategies.

Project deliverables included a report addressing:

• Ecosystem of the Australian education market
• Market share of Australian education in both higher education and vocation education sectors
• Factors crucial to the decision making process of choosing location and nationality of education
• Information channels that students, decision makes and influencers used
• Analysis of customers’ perceived competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Spire conducted intensive secondary research to consolidate intelligence on a broad spectrum of sectors across all the countries concerned. Hypotheses concerning current and future market potential were developed.

In-depth interviews with investment promotion agencies (IPAs), government bodies, sector-specific experts and key industry players in each country were then conducted to validate and develop these hypotheses. Spire ultimately integrated country-specific findings and analysis to provide strategic recommendations on a regional level.

Spire’s findings were used to inform the business development strategy of our client as well as educate companies from its region on business opportunities in Asia. Spire presented its findings to a large audience as well in the client’s locality in Europe. Its reports were also been translated and circulated to relevant European firms.

Project deliverables included a series of reports that:

• Analyzed trends in specific sectors ranging from biotechnology and automotive to textiles and electronics
• Defined the relevance of these sectors to firms in the client’s European locality

Spire undertook a two-staged process for this engagement. In the first stage, suitable companies were identified for benchmarking. In the second stage, the operations and strategies of these companies were researched using publicly available data sources.

Spire’s report was used to assist companies from our client’s home country in implementing organizational improvement and Asian expansion plans.

Project deliverables included a report outlining:

• The types of organization structure prevalent among leading MNCs in Asia
• Their broad human resource practices and business strategies
• Their outlook on Asia’s business climate